Mumbai Airport equipped to provide COVID-19 test results in 13 minutes; Rs 4,500 charge

International passengers who will arrive in Mumbai Airport will have to wait for just thirteen minutes from now on to get their COVID-19 test results as the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) said on Tuesday that it has introduced a new 24X7 COVID-19 testing facility, which provides quick test results in not 8 hours but in flat 13 minutes at a cost of Rs 4,500. The CSMIA said in a release that it has witnessed an average of 30-35 such tests per day, and a total of 400 till December 28, which include passengers who had connecting flights to destinations outside Maharashtra. 

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'Will provide arriving passengers with a quick and accurate diagnosis'

The airport is the first one to adopt the express test method by Abbott 'ID Now', which is aimed at providing arriving passengers with a quick and accurate diagnosis, adhering to the rules set by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), CSMIA officials said in the release.

The rapid molecular testing technology by Abbott is a tool to help fight the pandemic by allowing fast, highly sensitive, and accurate diagnosis, the private airport operator said.

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The test reduces the wait time for reports and provides early detection of the virus in time for passengers to take necessary measures to prevent disease transmission, thereby creating a safer environment for travelers and airport staff.  The testing facility option is available 24x7 for all international arriving passengers at the airport at a cost of Rs 4,500, CSMIA said.

On December 27, amid the scare of a new variant of Coronavirus strain reaching India, the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) revised the institutionalized quarantine guidelines for passengers arriving from UK, Europe, Middle East, and South Africa at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. At the time of publishing, 20 cases of the new Covid strain have been detected in India, while flights coming from the UK have been temporarily suspended. 

In November, Mumbai Airport had put together a COVID-19 vaccine task force to handle the cargo and ensure smooth transportation along with a 24-hour helpline and provided facilities to ensure controlled temperature during movement and processing of pharmaceutical goods throughout the airport which is important for the storage and transportation of COVID-19 vaccine. 

(With PTI Inputs)

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